Réunion: a little Iceland of the tropics

We're finally setting off on this first trip of 2018, a year that for us is quite ambitious in that regard, and we leave on a hot spring day, so hot that it spoils a bit the taste of heading to the tropics, where, it seems, we won't even be too lucky as far as the weather goes.

With these premises and making the requisite good-luck gestures, we set off from home around 10:15, heading for the island of Réunion, a piece of land of volcanic origin with a surface area of 2,500 square kilometres, belonging to France and therefore to Europe, located in the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and Mauritius, so little known that, among all those I told about it, the one who came closest to its position placed it in the Caribbean region! Little does it matter about the general geographical ignorance around us, and accompanied by good humour, after about twenty minutes of travel we enter the A14 motorway at Faenza, to immediately start following it north. At 11:00 we're thus in Bologna, but this time we won't be taking off from the Felsinean capital; we keep clocking up the kilometres.

We cross practically the entire Po Valley and around 13:00 we come in sight of Milan to go, more precisely, to the Low Coast car park at Linate, where we'll leave the car in storage for the entire duration of the holiday. With the free shuttle we then have ourselves taken to the nearby airport, where we arrive well in advance. So we take the opportunity to have a comfortable lunch with our sandwiches and afterwards we get ready to check in our luggage. We pass through security and wait for flight EZY 4298 at gate number 21. Right on time, the Airbus A319 of the EasyJet company taxis on the Milan runway and at 13:53 takes off bound for Paris. It seems contradictory to go north, moving away from our destination, but it's precisely from the French capital that we'll take off for Réunion.

We fly over the Alps, still abundantly snow-capped, then the immense lands beyond the Alps, before starting our descent toward Orly airport, where we touch down at 17:53. We must necessarily collect our luggage and, fortunately, they hand it over very quickly, so without worry we can set off in search of the Orlyval, the rail line connecting the airport's two terminals. We move from the West Terminal to the South, and there we find the desk where we check our suitcases in again, this time to the final destination. We pass through security again, a bit stricter and more cumbersome than the Italian one, and make it to the departure gate. That way, after a short wait, we set foot on flight SS 0910, a big Airbus A330 of the Corsair company, which at 22:45 takes off, banking immediately southward.

Cruising at cruising speed through French skies, shortly afterwards I move the clock hands two hours ahead to the Réunion time zone and in an instant it's…

In the darkness we fly over the Alps, then the whole of Italy, then we cross the Mediterranean and venture onto the African continent. At dawn we come out over the Indian Ocean and, after passing Madagascar, we prepare to land, in a sea of clouds, on Réunion. Thus, at 10:41 local time, we touch down at the Roland Garros international airport in Saint-Denis. It isn't raining, but the sky is hazy and the landscape gloomy. We collect our suitcases safe and sound, and then go to the Enterprice car rental desk to pick up the vehicle booked from home. There they give us a white Peugeot 2008 (registration EC 860 XV) and with that we set off to conquer the island. We go along the expressway that runs parallel to the coast and, proceeding anticlockwise, we pass the capital Saint-Denis to continue south.

We observe the colossal works for the construction of the new expressway, whose route in this stretch will be a long viaduct inside the ocean, and, after also stopping for a quick shop at a large shopping centre, we arrive shortly after 14:00, in the heights above the locality of Les Avirons, at Chez Mamie, a small family-run establishment that will host us for the entire duration of our stay on Réunion. A kind lady welcomes us, from now on called Mamie, who shows us our room, equipped also with a shared kitchen (with another room currently empty). There we leave our bags and, after a quick lunch, set off for a short excursion in the surroundings, even though the weather doesn't exactly invite it. First of all we go to the nearby village of Piton Saint-Leu to see, only from the outside because it can't be visited, the colourful Hindu temple Siva Soupramanien.

Richly decorated like most buildings of this kind… the only note of colour on this first grey day. Then we go down to the shores of the ocean, in the locality of Saint-Leu, but going to the beach is completely out of the question… so we go to the nearby marine centre of Kelonia, dedicated in particular to the sea turtles present in the region… Nothing to write home about if we think that exactly a year ago we were at the splendid Genoa Aquarium, but at least a place that served to help us pass some time pleasantly, with little Leo enthusiastic about the experience. Around 18:00, tired after the very long journey, we shop for dinner and return to Chez Mamie, so, while we're about to eat our food, the owners of the establishment come to warn us because tomorrow the arrival of a tropical cyclone is expected and their advice is not to move.

The cyclone, for friends, is called Fakir and is, fortunately, only category one. It's an anomalous event for the season, so a small "privilege"! … A shiver that we would gladly have avoided. The impact is expected on the island at about midnight and the consequences will be felt at least for the whole of tomorrow.

Cyclone Fakir arrived on time during the night and can be clearly heard above our heads. When we wake up it's at the peak of its power: the palm canopies are whipped by the strong wind, over a hundred kilometres an hour, and the access lane to Chez Mamie is a swollen river. We spend the whole morning watching the phenomenon and at midday we have lunch hosted by the owners of the establishment; then, in the early afternoon, the fury of the cyclone subsides. We thus learn that many roads are closed and that there are also two victims on the island. The sun finally peeks through the clouds and, even though a bit shaken, we can't resist the temptation to go by car for a look around the area.

The roads in the area are littered with debris, but largely passable, so we reach the sea near L'Étang-Salé les Bains at Le Gouffre, a rugged stretch of coast where the ocean waves, rough today, crash against the rocks forming enormous sprays, which we photograph. Afterwards we take expressway number 1 and go south as far as the town of Saint-Pierre, considered something like the capital of southern Réunion. First we stop at its outskirts to see the Tamil temple Shri Mahabadra Karli, with particularly bright decorations and colours, whose only flaw is being accessible only to the faithful (to tell the truth it can be visited, but only one day a week, at very limited times). Right after we head toward the town centre, where we leave the car in a car park on the seafront, then venture on foot along the main streets.

The shops, however, are almost all closed because of the cyclone, including the covered market, housed in a typical nineteenth-century metal structure, so the place, normally full of life, instead looks rather desolate. We nevertheless stop to take a look at the Attyaboul Massadjid mosque, which has a very tall minaret, and at the Chinese temple, which however is closed, then we go to the beach of Saint-Pierre, generally bathed by a beautiful blue sea, but the rivers, swollen by the storm, have brought down so much muddy water and the big waves of the rough sea do the rest, offering a far from inviting spectacle. We stop anyway for a while, consoling ourselves with the fact that at least it has stopped raining, and later, on the way back, we also enjoy the sun, now close to setting, which half-hidden among the clouds really makes quite an effect.

We reclaim Chez Mamie and later go to bed with a good dose of renewed optimism… Tomorrow good weather is forecast, so we'll be able to kick off the real exploration of the island, as long as the roads are open.

We're finally ready to embark on our itinerary to discover this land… but the noise coming from outside is incontrovertible and disarming: it's raining hard! … Again! … And yet the weather forecast was good! On Réunion you have to set off early in the morning to enjoy the inland panoramas, but instead of 6:30 I get up a bit listlessly at almost 7:00. We have breakfast and then set off in the rain. As we descend from the hills, however, the phenomenon subsides and we soon come out of that damned big cloud that was besieging us, so just a few kilometres away the sun is already shining brightly. We proceed on expressway number 1 heading north, and near the village of Saint-Paul we even get caught in a traffic jam, which you'd never expect on an island in the Indian Ocean; then, however, we leave the main artery and start climbing into the heights, following the signs for Dos d'Ane.

The ribbon of asphalt winds up in vertiginous hairpin bends to this remote locality, and from there we climb a little further, amid intriguing panoramas, to the car park from which the Cap Noir walk starts. We venture along a well-marked path and immediately look out from above onto the wild Cirque de Mafate, one of Réunion's three cirques, which are enormous chasms formed following the implosion of the ancient Piton des Neiges volcano, now extinct. This type of environment is so unique and precious that in 2010 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site, a recognition granted to few other natural sites in the world. The other cirques are those of Cilaos and Salazie, which we'll see later during the trip, and they're also accessible by car.

Only the Cirque de Mafate can be reached on foot or by helicopter; in fact right now there's one doing a sort of shuttle run to supply the tourist facilities inside it. From above, the panorama over the deep chasm is spectacular and reaches its peak at the Cap Noir kiosk. It's a very green and primordial landscape that unfolds before our eyes, with deep canyons and rocky peaks, in which verticality is predominant… They look like scenes from Jurassic Park, against the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky, except that many clouds have already arrived, for which I take responsibility, because this morning I didn't believe in it and we lost almost an hour on our schedule.

After the kiosk we continue along the path, which becomes rather demanding and winds through dense tropical vegetation, climbing in altitude with steep gradients, also via some metal ladders, and we reach the peak called Roche Verre Bouteille, while we're now exhausted and shrouded in clouds. From there we then follow the ridge and gently descend to the car park, concluding the first exciting, though tiring, excursion on Réunion. We descend from Dos d'Ane, and once at lower altitudes we find full sun again; then we head south again and, having reached the vicinity of the locality of Saint-Gilles, we stop to go and see the Ravine Saint-Gilles (indeed), which is a lush valley at the end of which there should be a little lake where a beautiful waterfall plunges… but the area is closed and (we learn today) has been inaccessible for some time.

At this point we decide to go to a beach to have lunch and spend the rest of the day. So we opt for the nearby Plage de la Saline, known as one of the best on Réunion, protected by the coral reef… and indeed it's very beautiful, despite the rough sea beyond the reef. It also shows off splendid colours, but the reef cannot protect from the wind which, as a consequence of the cyclone, is still blowing quite stiffly from the south. So, after lunch, we flee in search of a more sheltered spot. We move, about ten kilometres, to the beach of Boucan Canot, which isn't bounded by the reef, but being north-facing is, today, protected from the gusts and more liveable, although, due to the strong waves, swimming is still forbidden.

Among the rocks, on the right side of the bay, there's also an intriguing seawater pool, but there too swimming is forbidden, so with Leonardo I treat myself to a little dip among some rocks, where the water is warm, as well as blue and transparent, and it feels great! We spend the whole afternoon at Boucan Canot, seeking a bit of serenity, after the recent efforts and the exceptional weather events, then, with the sun now near the horizon line, we gather all our thoughts and head toward Chez Mamie, not before, however, having savoured a beautiful sunset. When we finally approach our accommodation, incredibly it starts to rain and we learn that it has done so more or less all day, confirming the incredible climatic variability of this land, which however has finally begun to show us its beauties.

Wake-up while it's still dark outside, because today we want to reach the top of Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most active volcanoes on the planet (it holds the record for eruption frequency), which towers in the southern part of Réunion with its 2,632 metres of altitude, and we absolutely want to get there before the clouds invade it. We head briskly toward the south of the island, and at the town of Saint-Pierre we turn inland onto road number 3. We climb in altitude beyond the village of Le Tampon and gradually watch the landscape change appearance, from tropical to almost pre-alpine, characterised by green meadows with grazing cows.

We're in the geographical area of Plaine des Cafres, located at 1,200 metres of altitude, between the cirques and the Piton de la Fournaise, and from here, more precisely from the village of Bourg-Murat, we take the Route du Volcan, which immediately starts to climb vertiginously with the aid of narrow hairpin bends. It's a splendid morning, with a clear sky and a very green panorama stretching as far as the peaks of the cirques further north. Then the vegetation thins out almost to the point of disappearing and the environment around us takes on an almost Martian appearance when we look out from above onto the Plaine des Sables, a spectacular plateau formed by volcanic ashes. From the pass of the same name (at 2,360 metres of altitude) we then descend in tight hairpin bends toward the flat expanse, where the road becomes a dirt track full of potholes, but still passable.

Here we notice a crew probably shooting a commercial, given the flaming BMWs against the backdrop of the infernal landscape. After a few kilometres the road climbs again to the 2,319 metres of the

The departure is, as usual, at an early hour. The intention is not to descend from our current position, but to climb further, as far as the locality of Le Tévelave and from there follow the Route Forestière du Tévelave, then the Route des Tamarins, which runs entirely at altitude through the thick tropical vegetation, and finally cover the last stretch of uphill road to Le Maïdo, at 2,220 metres above sea level, one of the most spectacular viewpoints in Réunion. As soon as we take the forest road, however, we find ourselves facing a barrier that prevents us from continuing and the cause is again to be attributed to cyclone Fakir … curse it! The alternative is to descend to the main road, drive a good stretch of it and then climb back up, along a steep route with hundreds of bends, to the longed-for destination.

So, armed with patience, we set off along the straight and narrow, especially since the morning is splendid and we cannot let the opportunity to observe the spectacle slip away. Shortly after 9:00 we finally reach our destination and can enjoy the splendid view over the Cirque de Mafate from that sort of natural balcony that is Le Maïdo, with the view stretching into the distance as far as the ocean dotted with small clouds, making the view practically aerial! … We stay for a while to savour the panorama from every possible angle (and rightly so, after the effort made to reach it!), then we face the long descent, which around 11:00 brings us to the town of Saint-Paul, where first of all we go to see, only from the outside, the Hindu temple Siva Soupamanien.

Immediately afterwards we would like to take a stroll through the renowned market, which is held here every Friday and is considered the most typical on the island … in fact it seems the whole island is present, because parking nearby is really impossible. So we move to the western outskirts of the town, where the original and characteristic Cimetière Marin is located, situated on the ocean shore, in whose monumental tombs the most notable figures of Réunion are buried. At this point in the day, by now at noon, we head towards the beach and try to go to the nearby Plage de l'Hermitage, the one considered the most beautiful on the island, in the hope that the wind, which in these days blows from the south, has calmed down a little. Aeolus's wrath has not yet completely subsided, but we find a fairly sheltered corner and have lunch there, also waiting for a big cloud to move away.

In the afternoon the sun then comes out completely and finally lights up all the colours of the sea … truly beautiful, with its infinite shades of blue and the crystal-clear waters that lap a white shoreline bordered by lush vegetation. Together with Leonardo I also go exploring with mask and snorkel over the coral reef in front, and there, to our great satisfaction, we see numerous fish and beautiful formations, an experience certainly not comparable to those of the Red Sea or the Maldives but nevertheless satisfying. We thus spend the whole afternoon pleasantly at the Plage de l'Hermitage, until sunset, when we tidy up all our things and make our way back to base, concluding an excellent day.

We set off at more or less the usual time and from Chez Mamie we head south, as far as the town of Saint-Louis, where we begin to climb into the mountains. After more than twenty kilometres of steep and winding road and after the village of Les Makes, with the last stretch through a dense tropical forest, we reach the viewpoint called La Fenetre, at an altitude of 1587 metres. Having left the car in the designated car park, we look down from above onto the Cirque de Cilaos, the best known and also the most populated of Réunion's cirques, whose view is spectacular, even if not exactly in the right light, as well as being affected by a bit of haze in the lower layers of the deep chasm, but at least without clouds. Having observed the cirque from above, we are now intent on going inside it.

To do this we descend from La Fenetre almost as far as Saint-Louis and then begin to follow the Route de Cilaos, also known as the "road of four hundred bends", one of the most tortuous ribbons of asphalt in the world. At first the road winds into a narrow gorge and right away we come across a not very reassuring sign that reads: "Route de Cilaos barrée" … then, a little further on, an obligatory detour onto a little suspension bridge, which can only take one car at a time, towards the village of Îlet Furcy. We cross the bridge with a touch of apprehension and emerge, on the other side of the village, once again onto the riverbed, which this time is tackled over a rough dirt crossing.

A crossing that is however blocked by the police, with all the cars stopped in a queue, while on the other side of the canyon and therefore on the main road we can see large boulders falling onto the carriageway, live! Who knows if and, above all, when they will let people through … so we make a decision and, settling for the view of Cilaos only from above, we turn back, tackle the little bridge once again and change our objective. We descend to Saint-Louis and take the number 1 expressway heading north, so as to go in search of a beach, even though we are well ahead of schedule. The choice falls on the Plage de la Saline, where a few days ago the wind was blowing hard … a really lovely beach, there's no denying it, but defying the forecast, today too it is whipped by gusts that are not too pleasant … So we go straight to the nearby Plage de l'Hermitage, where we were yesterday.

The place is splendid and after the partial failure of the morning we can at least enjoy a delightful afternoon at the beach, with sunbathing and crystal-clear sea and with a coral reef, rich in fish, that is really of a good standard and with just a bit too much current to do a peaceful snorkel. As always we stay on the beach until almost sunset, but this evening we head back a little more promptly. In fact a dinner prepared personally by Mamie awaits us, which we eat in the company of three new guests and during which we savour several exquisite Creole dishes. On that occasion we also learn, from our hosts, that last night the Piton de la Fournace also erupted … nothing special or worrying, but just yet another demonstration of the great activity of this volcano located right in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

The alarm is always rather early, with the holiday now drawing to a close. We still have the south and the north-east of the island left to see, as well as the Cirque de Salazie, which however we have decided to sacrifice, given the day lost because of the cyclone … So today we will devote ourselves to the south. We go along the number 1 expressway as far as Saint-Pierre (on which stretch we will realise, once back home, that we also got caught by a speed camera) and from there we venture along the number 3 road, which crosses the whole of Réunion as far as its eastern coast. We pass near the turn-off for the Route du Volcan and continue downhill to the coastal town of Saint-Benoît, where we turn right onto the number 2 road and head towards the so-called "Sud Sauvage", but also towards some big dark clouds.

After a few kilometres we arrive in the village of Sainte-Anne, where the curious Église de Sainte-Anne is found, built in 1857 in an extravagant style, with the façade entirely covered in original stuccoes depicting flowers, fruit and angels. A chapel inside it would also offer interesting decorations, but a religious service is under way and we cannot go in. The greyness of the sky then dominates the scene and we have to make do. Further on, along the number 2 road, still near Sainte-Anne, we also see the old Pont des Anglais, a picturesque suspension bridge no longer usable (not even on foot) and rather in need of restoration, which when it was built, towards the end of the 19th century, was the longest of its kind in the world.

From this point on, the coast and the ribbon of asphalt that follows it are practically on the slopes of the Piton de la Fournaise, in fact in the next village, which is called Piton Sainte-Rose, we can admire the church of Notre-Dame-des-Laves, literally saved by a miracle from the lava flow of 1977, which surrounded it on three sides, leaving it incredibly untouched. From there, crossing some sugar cane plantations, we go down to the seashore, to discover the point where the magma met the waters of the ocean, while the clouds thin out and the sun comes back to visit us.

From Piton Sainte-Rose a few kilometres then bring us to the turn-off for the Anse des Cascades, a small and picturesque bay in which some waterfalls plunge just a few metres from the sea … but the road is barred and impassable, perhaps yet another victim of cyclone Fakir! We then continue on our itinerary, entering the area of Le Grand Brûlé, where the mighty volcano normally vents its power, and we stop among immense lava flows at the viewpoint over that of 2007, which was quite violent and also reached the ocean. A little further on, a dirt track would instead lead to Pointe de la Table, where the eruption of 1986 vented, but the route is accessible only to authorised vehicles. So we go to the very nearby Puits Arabe, from which one can enjoy intriguing glimpses of black lava flows at the mercy of the ocean waves.

There there is also a nice picnic area surrounded by a fine grove of vacoa and dotted with unsettling yellow signs warning of the presence of sharks … but who would dare to bathe in those restless waters? Another stretch of road then leads us to Cap Méchant. Here the black cliffs shaped by the force of the sea are spectacular, with a thin rocky promontory, scenically pierced at its base, which creates highly evocative views, thanks also to the white foam of the ocean waves, which in this place break with violence … The intense blue of the sky then does the rest. We remain fascinated for a while, enjoying the spectacle, then at Cap Méchant we have lunch with our sandwiches in a nice equipped area and in the company of many local people, who have come here to spend Sunday.

Having resumed our journey we arrive in the locality of Langevin and from there we head inland, going back up the Rivière Langevin. The banks of the river are full of locals spending the public holiday there, while we instead flank it for several kilometres, until we come face to face with the stupendous Cascade de Grand Galet, one of the most scenic and most photographed in Réunion. A myriad of trickles of water descends into a very green amphitheatre, creating a beautiful sight. Sometimes waterfalls impress by their power, this one instead by its delicacy, which should not however be misleading. Satisfied with this experience too, we take the road once again and at this point of the day we would like to spend a bit of time on a beach.

We pass the village of Saint-Joseph and also the nearby beach of Grande Anse, because it is not suitable for swimming, and having reached Saint-Pierre, where our circle of the "Sud Sauvage" practically closes, we continue swiftly along the number 1 expressway heading north, even though in that direction not very reassuring clouds are gathering. In the end we opt once again for the Plage de la Saline … Today there is no wind there and the sea is very calm, only the sun is absent, even though towards evening it comes to pay us a timid visit. At sunset we finally head back to base, where the suitcases to be repacked await us, in view of tomorrow's departure for home.

This morning we have the breakfast prepared by Mamie, then we settle the bill, cordially say goodbye to her and her husband, who really treated us well during our stay, and with all our luggage we take to the road, but not towards the airport. In fact today too will be a day of visits around the island, because the return flight is only scheduled to leave in the evening. We head south as far as Saint-Pierre and from there we follow the number 3 road that crosses the island, as yesterday, while at the top of the pass we enter a thick blanket of clouds. In the fog we then take the turn-off for the Route Forestière de Bébour-Bélouve, hoping that it will thin out further on.

We proceed through an environment that seems to have come out of the Cretaceous era, so much so that the idea flashes through our minds that sooner or later a velociraptor will cross the road, and after about twenty kilometres, having found the blue of the sky again, we reach a car park where the ribbon of asphalt ends. From here, on foot and in a short time, we conquer the Point de vue de Bélouve, from which there is a magnificent view over the Cirque de Salazie below (the third and last of the series) and over the Piton des Neiges, the highest peak in Réunion with its 3,070 metres, today a little hidden by the clouds. On the spot there is also a piece of transport archaeology: it is a funicular built in the 19th century, with more than anything military purposes, which transported two people at a time from the bottom of the Cirque de Salazie.

Even today you can see the cabin at its starting point and the cable that descends downwards … A fine piece of engineering and a rough ancestor of modern cable cars. We enjoy the panorama for a while and then return to the car, thus giving up on walking the nine-kilometre trek that from here leads to seeing from above (and in the distance) the Trou de Fer waterfall, one of the best known in Réunion, above all because of a knee of Sabrina's that is acting up, but also for lack of time. We retrace the whole route through the forest and regain the main artery that crosses the island, to then descend to the eastern coast in the village of Saint-Benoit, where we turn left and head north on the number 2 road, but not for long.

Shortly after, in fact, we take the turn-off that leads to the Belvédère de Takamaka, a wild valley dotted with peaks and waterfalls … more and more intriguing as you go up … Having reached however one kilometre from the destination we find the road closed, because of a landslide that occurred in November 2017, and impassable, even on foot … what a shame! We have lunch in a picnic area, then set off again and along the valley we stop to follow a path that should lead to the Bassin la Mer, an interesting little pool into which a waterfall plunges, but in the area it is simply impossible to leave the car parked and we have to give up.

We then descend to the coast, to climb almost immediately onto the first hills as far as the vicinity of the Bassin la Paix, another little pool with a waterfall, indeed two … very scenic and evocative! (Following the river you would also reach the other Bassin, that of la Mer, but the way is long and rough, so we abandon the idea.) Satisfied with the river experience we have just had, we once again return to the coast and from there we go north along the number 2 expressway as far as the locality of Saint-André, where we exit to go and see the Temple du Colosse, one of the most important Tamil temples in Réunion, characterised by the usual decorations in bright colours, but obviously it is not open to the public and we have to settle for photographing it through the fence.

Same story a few kilometres further on, on the outskirts of the town of Sainte-Suzanne, where the colourful Tamoul de Bois Rouge temple is found, from which we then head towards the interior of the island, as far as the foot of the Cascade Niagara … Nothing to do with the famous North American waterfall of the same name, but still beautiful, even if, given the time, it is now completely in shadow. Still near Sainte-Suzanne we go to the Bassin de Bœuf, where a walk among enormous bamboo leads to seeing a small waterfall from the top of the valley, then, having returned to the centre of the village, we also devote a bit of time to its lighthouse, the only one in Réunion, dating back to 1845. Now well into the afternoon we then set the navigator for the centre of the capital Saint-Denis.

We pass in front of the airport, to which we will return later, and go to park on the seafront near the ancient cannon battery of Le Barachois. From there, on foot, we do a quick rundown of the most interesting buildings in the city, starting with the 18th-century Préfecture building, then passing, along Avenue de la Victoire, first in front of the simple cathedral, all painted white, then the imposing Ancien Hôtel de Ville, whose façade, characterised by a clock tower, stands out with its bright yellow colour. Further on, along the same street, we observe the old colonial residences of Maison Déramond-Barre and Maison Carrère, finally making a quick stop in the pedestrian Rue Maréchal Leclerc as far as the Mosquée Noor-e-Islam, while darkness advances inexorably.

We have a snack on the seafront of Saint-Denis, with the sky still ablaze with the colours of sunset, and then we set off for the airport. We stop to fill up and then go to return our faithful Peugeot 2008, with which in Réunion we covered 1,430 kilometres. We enter the airport and immediately face the queue at the check-in desk, so, in a short time, we find ourselves in front of gate number 4 waiting for flight SS 0911 that will take us back to the European continent. At the scheduled time we board the Airbus A330 of Corsair and this, perfectly on time, at 22:33, lifts off the ground turning immediately north, so a little later, as we pass over Madagascar, midnight strikes and it is …

We fly over almost all of African airspace and emerge over the Mediterranean Sea at the Libyan coast, while a little later dawn begins to break. We pass over the whole of Italy and practically also over our own home, so much so that we would feel like asking for a parachute, but we continue and land at Paris Orly airport at 8:00 (French and Italian time), well ahead of schedule. In this way we manage to calmly carry out all the procedures of baggage reclaim, terminal change and new check-in to board the next flight Easy Jet EZY 4297. Almost perfectly on time, at 11:10, the Airbus A319 of the British low-cost company taxis on the Paris runway and climbs towards Milan, so less than an hour later, for the second time in one morning, we cross the Alpine arc, this time heading south, and at 12:25 we happily land at Linate airport.

We collect our suitcases safe and sound, have a quick snack and with the car park shuttle we go to retrieve our car, so, already before 13:30, we are on our way home. At 14:00 we cross the bed of the Po river and an hour later we are in Bologna, then, around 15:30, we leave the motorway at Faenza and at 15:44 we conclude the journey in front of the gate of our home.

It was a very particular holiday, which began badly with cyclone Fakir, but ended decidedly better, because it was lived on a tropical island, but not always at the sea, indeed, only to a minimal extent, even if that little sea turned out to be of quality and characterised by a beautiful coral reef … The rest were magnificent panoramas over a bold landscape, made up of volcanic peaks, lush vegetation and spectacular waterfalls, so much so that I am inclined to define (glaciers aside) Réunion as a little Iceland of the tropics.